Minnesota Crop News

  In this episode of MN CropCast, hosts Dave Nicolai and Dr. Seth Naeve sit down with Bryce Nelson, a veteran independent crop consultant and the current president of the Minnesota Independent Crop Consultants Association (MNICCA). With over four decades of boots-on-the-ground experience serving southern Minnesota and northern Iowa, Bryce shares his unique perspective on how the crop consulting industry has shifted to meet the demands of modern agriculture. Key Highlights from the Episode: The True Meaning of Independence: Bryce explains the strict philosophy behind MICCA. By remaining completely separate from product sales, independent consultants act as unbiased advocates focused solely on maximizing the farmer's return on investment. Agronomic Evolution: A look at how weed management has come full circle—from the complex chemistry battles of the 1980s, through the simplicity of the Roundup era, and back to today’s high-stakes battle over resistance management. The Modern, Speci...

Find out about the latest in forage management at the Multi-state Forage Field Day on August 18  from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the University of Minnesota's West Central Research and Outreach Center in Morris, Minnesota. The field day is supported by Upper Midwest universities and forage associations as part of the I-29 Moo University , along with generous support from sponsors.  Learn from experts across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska during hands-on field sessions and indoor presentations covering topics including:  • Grazing under solar panels • Virtual fencing • Manure application • Forage interseeding • Forage agronomy • Pest management • Nutrient management Registration includes lunch at $20 per person or $10 per person if you come as a farm or family group. Walk-in registration ($25) will be available the day of the event, but registration by August 7th is highly encouraged if you plan to eat lunch. Learn more and register: http://z.umn.e...

Tatum Dwyer, UMN Entomology Graduate Student, Eric Yu, UMN Extension IPM Educator, Fei Yang, UMN Extension Corn Entomologist Every field season, researchers and extension professionals at the University of Minnesota monitor moth flights of several economically important pests, including the western bean cutworm, true armyworm, corn earworm, and European corn borer. Annual moth flight data from previous field seasons can be retrieved from https://vegedge.umn.edu/weekly-moth-flights . Tracking moth flights informs growers and consultants which pests to keep an eye out for and to estimate when to apply control measures through degree-day modeling (read more here: https://vegedge.umn.edu/degree-day-models-select-pests-midwest-region ) One of the most widely used tools for monitoring these insect pests is the blacklight trap. Traditional light traps have been used for centuries to capture nocturnal species. These insects are attracted to the ultraviolet (UV) light atop a funnel and follow t...

Angie Peltier, UMN Extension crops educator, Fei Yang, UMN Extension corn entomologist and Anthony Hanson, UMN Extension IPM educator and Brett Arenz, UMN Plant Disease Clinic director The following information was provided during the July 22, 2026 Strategic Farming: Field Notes session. Use your preferred podcasting platform or listen online to a podcast of this Field Notes session. It’s time to talk about corn rootworms! Minnesota has two rootworm species that threaten corn yield potential, western and northern corn rootworms. Western corn rootworm Western corn rootworm adults are small, yellow beetles with long antennae and black heads. Thoraxes of both male and female rootworms are yellow with black in different patterns across their wing covers. Female rootworm beetles have black striping across their wing covers running from their thorax to their rear end while males have continuous black coloring across their wing covers (Figure 1). Figure 1. Western corn rootworm beetles...

Photo credit: University of Minnesota Extension Today on Advancing Nitrogen Smart  we ask an unusual question: What is manure, really? We all know manure is made of the liquids and solids that pass through an animal's digestive system, but what has to happen for manure to become usable? Is all manure created equal, or do differences in animal type - and their feed - result in manure with variable nutrient values? How do factors like handling, storage and animal bedding impact available nutrients in manure? What are some of the long-term benefits of manure application? Is there an optimal time of year to apply manure? Brad Carlson and Melissa Wilson answer these questions and many more on this 39th episode of the Advancing Nitrogen Smart podcast. Read the full transcript here Guests: Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato) Melissa Wilson, Extension manure nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Additional resources: How to put together a manure management plan Nitrogen ava...

By: Chryseis Modderman, Extension Educator – Manure Management; Stephen Gregg, On-Farm Research Manager and Outreach Specialist; Melissa Wilson, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist – Manure Nutrient Management The University of Minnesota Extension manure management team will host the last in-person Commercial Animal Waste Technician (CAWT) recertification workshop in 2026 at Farmfest. This course allows CAWT professionals to meet their mandatory training requirements while also attending Minnesota Farmfest. The workshop, covering a variety of critical topics, will be held on August 6th, 2026 in the “Wick Building” located near the center of the Farmfest Expo grounds from 8 - 11:45 a.m. To learn more about the speakers and topics, make sure to visit z.umn.edu/CAWTworkshops Cost The registration fee is $20 for the in-person recertification training which can be paid when scanning in at the Wick Building by cash or credit card. You will also need to purchase a separate admissio...